Time Sensitive Notifications on iPhone and how to use them!

What You Need to Know

• Time Sensitive Notifications allow iPhone users to maintain focus on important tasks without fear of missing important information through special alerts
• Users have granular control over these alerts by configuring them at the application and focus mode levels
• Apple provides best practices and guidelines for app developers to ensure proper usage when implementing time sensitive alerts in their applications

Introduction

In the age of constant digital communication, managing alerts on our devices has become crucial. Apple’s introduction of “Focus” in iOS 15 marks a significant step in this direction, enabling iPhone users to filter notifications based on their current activity or mood. Among these advancements is the concept of Time Sensitive notifications—a class designed to ensure that critical alerts are not missed even when other alert classes are silenced.

In this article we dive into this special notification class, explaining how they stand out from other notification classes like Passive, Active, and Critical. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive overview of the four notification classes introduced by Apple, their characteristics, and how they differ in terms of urgency and visibility.

If you would like to begin using Focus mode on your iPhone and configure your applications to leverage time sensitive alerts read on!

What Are Time Sensitive Notifications

Beginning with iOS 15 in 2021, Apple introduced “Focus” and the concept of Time Sensitive notifications.  Focus allows iPhone owners to limit the amount of communication and the types of notifications they receive based on the mode they currently have enabled.  Examples of different Focus modes include Do Not Disturb, Night Time, and Personal Time.  You can configure each of these modes, and any new modes you create, to block notifications from apps, phone calls, and text messages.  However, certain notifications are too important to be blocked, thus the creation of Time Sensitive notifications.

Time Sensitive notifications have a special class that allows them to break through Focus and alert people to important information that they need immediately.  There are four notification classes. They are Passive, Active, Time Sensitive, and Critical.

Time Sensitive allows you to decide who can contact you and which apps can notify you when alerts have been silenced for all other communications.  Blocking out some notifications is good, this allows you to stay focused on a task at hand without missing out on information that you deem critical.  A few examples of notifications that you may want to come through could include alerts from your bank or calls from specific people.

More Information on the Four Notification Classes

Let’s dig in a little more on the four classes of notification. The first class of notifications are Passive.  These are notifications that do not require immediate attention.  They do not have any triggers, sounds or vibrations.  In addition, the screen does not light up when they are delivered.  They exist in the background and can be reviewed at your leisure.

The second notification class is Active.  This is the default interruption level.  These alerts will light up the screen on your iPhone in addition to producing sounds and vibrations.

Time Sensitive notifications are the third class and the focus of this article.  This special alert includes all aspects of the Active notification PLUS these notifications will break through focus mode and notification setting summaries.  You can read more about notification summaries here.  One last point, not all applications have the ability to send Time Sensitive notifications.  Application developers must explicitly enable this capability in their applications.

The fourth and final notification class are Critical notifications.  These alerts have even a higher priority than the Time Sensitive level and can bypass the silent switch.  These notifications apply to only critical events such as severe weather and local safety warnings.  Apple has to specifically grant application developers permission to send critical notifications.

How do Time Sensitive Notifications Display on iPhone?

You might be wondering how Time Sensitive notifications appear on your iPhone. When you have time sensitive alerts enabled on an application, and receive a notification, your screen will light up and there will also be associated sounds and vibrations. All of this is designed to capture your attention immediately.

While the alert is designed to get your attention, time sensitive alerts do not override your security settings related to passwords and Face ID. The alert will show basic information, but you will not see the full detail until you logon to your phone with your password or using facial recognition.

How to Enable Time Sensitive Notifications

There are two parts to enabling Time Sensitive notifications.  In part one, we enable them on the specific applications we deem important. In part two, we enable Time Sensitive notifications on each Focus Mode we want them to break through.  This level of granularity ensures that we are not required to receive these alerts from every application that has this capability.  And remember, not all applications have the ability to even send Time Sensitive alerts.

To enable Time Sensitive on a specific application:

• Open Settings on your iPhone
• Tap Notifications

• Tap the application you wish to configure for Time Sensitive notifications
• Toggle Allow Notifications “on” if it is currently turned off
• Enable Time Sensitive Notifications

Once you have enabled them on your applications, you need to do the same with your Focus modes. To do this:

• Open Settings
• Tap Focus
• Select the Focus Mode you want to configure
• Tap the Apps section
• At the bottom of the screen enable Time Sensitive Notifications

How to Disable Time Sensitive Notifications

Disabling these notifications is as simple as enabling them – simply reverse the steps. First decide if you want to disable notifications for just one application or all applications. If you want to disable them for just a single application:

• Open Settings
• Open Notifications
• Scroll down to the application
• Disable Time Sensitive Notifications

However, if you want to disable them for all applications, it is easier to just disable Time Sensitive notifications at the Focus Mode:

• Open Settings
• Open Focus
• Select the specific Focus Mode
• Tap the Apps section
• Disable Time Sensitive Notifications

What if there is an application that doesn’t have Time Sensitive Notifications?

There is a unique scenario when you may want to enable an application that does not have Time Sensitive notifications to break through focus mode to alert you of important information. Luckily Apple has a contingency for this type of situation. You are able to grant specific applications the ability to alert you inside of Focus. To do this:

• Open Settings
• Open Focus
• Select the Focus mode you wish to edit
• Tap inside the Apps area
• Select Allow Notifications From
• Tap Add Apps
• Select the apps you wish to notify you

You can configure this for any application if it does not have access to Time Sensitive alerts.

However, if you want to prevent certain applications from notifying you, you can also disable them directly inside Focus as well:

• Open Settings
• Open Focus
• Select the Focus you wish to edit
• Tap inside the Apps area
• Select Silence Notifications From
• Tap Add Apps
• Select the apps you wish to disable

How Developers Enable Time Sensitive Notifications

You might be wondering who decides what merits Time Sensitive alerts through an application. Unlike Critical alerts, the use of Time Sensitive alerts is at the discretion of the application developer and their implementation of best practices and guidelines outlined by Apple. You can review those guidelines here.

There are certain steps the developer is required to take when sending a Time Sensitive alert. For instance, when you receive the alert, you should be given information explaining why the alert is being sent. In addition, you should be given the option to disable the alert going forward if you do not agree that it requires immediate attention.

As developers write their applications they designate certain types of notifications in the application code – Passive, Active, Time Sensitive, or Critical – through Apple’s application interface. As we have said, only the most important events should trigger a Time Sensitive alert.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Time Sensitive notifications strike a balance between maintaining focus and ensuring no critical alert is missed. They embody a thoughtful approach to digital communication, where the urgency of information is respected without overwhelming the user. The ability to customize these notifications, both at the application level and within various Focus Modes, adds a layer of personalization, allowing users to tailor their device according to their immediate needs and preferences.

Furthermore, the role of app developers in responsibly implementing these notifications, guided by Apple’s best practices, ensures that this feature is used judiciously, enhancing the overall utility of these alerts.